Beowulf

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Beowulf
Translated by Seamus Heaney

Beowulf has a special place in my heart. This translation was a whole lot easier once I realized I was reading the original version. For the first few pages I was like, this isn't even in English!

Jokes aside, this is a great translation. Seamus Heaney does a great job of making a classic text accessible to modern readers. I have enjoyed Beowulf since the first time I read it, probably for school. It sparked my interest in history and myth. That is the reason it holds a special place in my heart. Compared to other epic works though, Beowulf is not my favorite. It lacks some of the panache of Homer, doesn't flow like Ovid or Virgil and isn't as interesting as some of the Viking Sagas. That said, it gets four stars because it is still phenomenal.

Kim

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Kim
Rudyard Kipling

As a story Kim meanders lazily through to a comical ending, not comical as in hilarious, but as in farcical. It wasn't really until that ending that I felt like I was reading a boy's adventure novel. Which in a sense, makes Kipling all the more impressive. It can grab the attention of everyone out there. Honestly, it wasn't a great read, but it was interesting and unique. The language is different, but not unbearable. Overall it's a pretty decent read and I wouldn't mind seeing this made into a teenage movie (it won't until colonialism isn't a buzzword anymore and some new outrage takes its place, but I'd go see it if it was made).

R.U.R.

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R.U.R
Karel Čapek

Generally speaking, I don't love to read plays. It just isn't my style. However, this was more like reading a philosophical dialogue rather than a play. Čapek had a selection of his works put into a collection posthumously entitled, Toward the radical center and his language and tone in this drama matches that precisely. It isn't a cynical, or even sarcastic satire. It deals with the essence of being human, which for Čapek, turns out to be a willingness to die for another being in a self-sacrificing manner. But, while he may have been optimistic in his outlook he wasn't blind to the fact that man was not living up to his definition. This quick read does a great job of exploring ethics in a concise and quick fashion without bogging down the story. On a side note, the English word, "robot", finds its origin in this book taken from the Czech word meaning, "drudgery". That in and of itself has some interesting philosophical points to consider. This short, little read is worth an hour or so of your time.

Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age

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Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age
Bohumil Hrabal

The poetic prose of this little novella is beautiful in its ugliness and ugly in its beauty. Like some pre-Socratic philosopher he guides the reader from opposite producing opposite through a rambling thought experiment. There isn't much structure or story to this book and I probably missed some of the references due to my inability to read it untranslated and my lack of understanding in the history of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire's politics. But, the writing was interesting and moved rapidly along enough to accommodate my insufficiency.

Berlitz Pocket Guide: Prague

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Berlitz Pocket Guide: Prague

Given that the book cites the romantic and extravagant Czechoslovakia, it seems to be a bit dated. That said, it's a good little read with some interesting tidbits and translations of Czech that should be useful. Plus, it fits in my pocket and was 99 cents!

Amerika

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Amerika: The Missing Person
Franz Kafka

I'm not sure how to describe Amerika by Franz Kafka. Through what lens do I see the work? On the one hand it seems like it's a story about Karl, the main character, and his struggles against the fates. In that way Karl seems like Odysseus and each episode in Karl's life is another obstacle between he and his home. But, if it's a travelogue style book, Karl seems much more like Candide than anything Homeric. The suffering in this book seems more intense than in Voltaire, but Karl is just as naive and optimistic. It's a strange mixture of cheery fatalism and abject horror. Maybe it's the plodding pace of Amerika that allows the reader to feel each injustice and injury Karl faces that gave me the crawlies, but Kafka's meanderings have a more devastating effect than Voltaire's relentless pace.  The ending, with Karl being rewarded for accepting his fate with biscuits from Delamarche and Brunelda seems like a perverse, if fitting iteration of one's citrons and pistachios.

But, I often compare books I like with Candide, still one of my favorites. Delamarche and Robinson don't have quite as good of a reflection in Candide so I won't try to and shoehorn it in here. I loved this book, but I can't help thinking about how incredibly sad Kafka's works are. I was glad it ended, for Karl's sake. Even in the fragments (as Kafka never actually finished the book) I found myself grimacing as to what horrors awaited Karl in Oklahoma. Mercifully, I can imagine that he and Fanny lived a happy life out there, but I fear that Delamarche, or the specter of his uncle would somehow have robbed Karl of pleasant circumstances. The question I don't have the answer for though is could a Delamarche or his uncle or any rapidly deteriorating situation ever have robbed Karl of his spirit? In a way, Karl could be seen as a saint in Camus' views. He stared at the absurd and remained firm, seeking neither negation nor escape. He simply accepted fate and went about his business.

Othello

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Othello
William Shakespeare

Othello ranks up there with my favorite Shakespearean work, Coriolanus. Shakespeare knows how to grab your attention even through all the barriers. His character development moves the plot along while simultaneously giving it extra layers. Othello's tragedy makes for a fun time when you get to the deeper ethical questions, but at the same time it is obvious that Othello is as unquestionably guilty as Iago. Iago is a pretty fascinating character as well. I'm rambling here so I'll end with that.

You are my dukedom, my beer and my pot roast

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Prague in Black and Gold: Scenes from the Life of a European City
Peter Demetz

This is a solid history that really showcased to me my ignorance of Bohemian and Central European History. I knew a little before I read it; and, yet I thought I knew much more. While some of Demetz's references and allusions went right over my head he did an excellent job of painting broad strokes of the history of Prague and whetted my appetite for more. Usually I am drawn more to ancient history and the chapters leading up to the Hussite revolution were probably my favorite, but I found myself very interested in the Hapsburg era as well.

The writing is generally good, in a textbook sort of way. Some of the demystifying of Prague left me a little hostile, as I'm eagerly anticipating my Prague trip in just over a month, but there are copious amounts of magical histories of Prague, I guess one like this is necessary.

In his section on Mozart in Prague, he tells an anecdote about the first play performed in the Czech language. (Without spoiling the history of Bohemia, a history of language plays a pivotal role in the history of the city and the national identity.) The play, called Kníže Honzík is a play with a love triangle of sorts and deals with an ambitious dreamer. In the end though the dreamer is happy with his fiancee, declaring to her, "You are my dukedom, my beer and my pot roast". I guffawed when I read that line and am inscribing it in my memory banks with the hope that I will find occasion to steal it to declare my love for Erin some time.

What is great about this book is that it has informed me enough to want more. Being just the second history book of Prague I've read I find myself more and more fascinated with this city's history. Like any good teacher Peter Demetz has left enough questions unanswered to demand I learn more.